On my 'to do' list. Change the world, buy a dishwasher, create an Egyptian masterpiece.

Good day to you.

It's been a tough few weeks. New Year didn't go quite as planned...which kind of set the bar. I've needed to but avoided blogging because as you know I do like a positive spin on things and this was challenging even for me.
I managed it though - of course - *smiley face*  #challenge accepted.

In the midst of chaos you will, I  am sure, be pleased to hear that I pulled off another blinding kids costume with only hours notice...Egyptian...headdress and all! Nothing one can't do with a cereal box and a bit of paint. Job done. Happy days.

Being a 'Mum's taxi'? You're very welcome!

It kinda feels weird tipping up at the end of a gig.  

The bands getting their gear into vans and sweaty, exhausted fans outside still buzzing from what you've just missed. I do this quite often, come in at the end, to pick up my son from gigs all over the place. I never mind. 

I love how he doesn't stop talking on the way home, telling me all about it...'The drummer did this...we chatted to the vocalist....the pits were sick....' It makes me so happy to hear his passion for music.

You don't know the half of it....but I finally do!

Life can be challenging, that's for sure, and let's face it we wouldn't want it any other way. I have learnt a lot  over the last couple of weeks (yes even at my age)! I've learnt that single mums, mums, parents, are completely undervalued by society. We are the bomb!

When I get to work in the morning I have done a full day's work to get there. It is all about digging deep and I dig deep every day! My life should be the basis of a BBC 9pm Friday night sitcom. It has a farcical quality equal to Fawlty Towers.

The last few days have been difficult, many many children off school with a bug that took ME down, Ricky Hatton (or to keep it more relevant David Haye) style! (He's a boxer...right hook..left hook..etc. get my drift?)

Yesterday, and today I have been working from home. It sounds so easy but it really isn't. I was writing about unbelievably awesome rock legends whilst negotiating a full scale war in my living room over Scuzz TV versus CBBC as well as taking one to college who had 'missed' i.e. couldn't be arsed to get the bus as Mum is working from home therefore can take me to college.

It's a learning curve, I tell myself often, in fact 'character building' is the phrase I use. I have a meeting with my bank manager on Saturday I wonder how character building that will be.

My point is, I feel I really ought to get to it, that we need to change the way we look at people! Seriously!

If you are unfortunate enough to see me leave my car on the school run or nip to the local shop (I love my local shop, they don't bat an eyelid) in the morning, you will judge me without even meaning to!

I don't blame you I just ask that you take your judgement and stick it somewhere inappropriate and dark. You look at me differently when I am out for the evening and speak to me in shades of difference if you have seen me in work or chatted to me via email. You don't know I have five children and sometimes do the school run in my pyjamas, so you treat me quite favourably, without bias and often flirt!

I am not bantering on as a single mum, or a woman, parent or any other label. My point is...you just do not know what the person in front of you has just been through, so if their hair is uncombed (sorry what? a comb?) or they have a frown on, or they don't manage their usual smile that morning (or afternoon) take a second to think. It makes no difference to their skills, value or worth.

Rant over....

In other news...

Just realised I haven't shared my awesome news I left you with last time....so easy to get waylaid.

I found my (half) brother a few weeks ago.. a brother who I vaguely knew may exist throughout my childhood but had that confirmed recently. It really is the nicest thing. I grew up as an only child and now in my forties I discover my slightly younger brother. He is lovely. He doesn't look like me at all but looking at photos, there is one of him when he was about five that could be me! It's kind of weird but it's made my year! One really doesn't know the half of it...but I kind of do now... 

Don't judge and stay safe!

Turning Forty - and that's not the main event! Watch this space..

So, I turned 40. That actually happened. I am now that age. Which luckily for me seems to be the new 30 apparently.
I celebrated with a night out, a joint adventure with an old friend from school, turned out rather well even though it involved a fluffy flashing tiara with the number 40 in diamante and several Jaeger bombs.

I know the band played a Red Hot Chili Peppers song and that made me happy.
What made me happier was the company, all the friends old and new that showed up and how fab it was to see them all.
I had a feeling that 2012 was going to be an eventful year and it's not over yet, but already so much has changed. It feels like it's all good and there have been dark times but from those shadows came strength and wisdom. I'm old enough to have wisdom now..
A few mornings ago with about five minutes to go till our time to leave for work school and childminder, I was in the hallway drying my sons school trousers with a hairdryer when one of my other sons announced that he had to dress as a Victorian that day. So I cut up a t shirt! That is a top tip by the way, it never fails on any dress up occasion. It then occurred to me that I had an incredible resourcefulness about me. This was a change from my usual thought pattern... usually involving running away with the circus..and that was a positive affirmation right there!
You may be wondering why I don't seem to be on my soap box this eve don't worry I shall continue to blog with that in mind. I have lots to moan about of course but there's a time and a place..
Anyway, watch this space, really do, because pretty much the main event of the entire year happened this evening and I can not wait to share it with you. Just have to share it with a few others first.
,

To blog or not to blog!

Haven't blogged for a while. Main reason being I've had such a lot to deal with over the last few weeks I've not been in a position to 'share' much of what's been going on as lots of it has been of a 'sensitive' nature. Suffice to say I have had to be a fairly strong cookie and have risen to the challenge! Go me, pat on the back blah blah blah.
Today, has been fairly unbelievable. Without going in to detail I have had some dealings with a school where a member of staff has lied to me about my child. Full on, bare faced, lied lied lied! I have evidence that is over and above proof that this woman has lied to me and the school are still going with what she has told them! I'm gobsmacked. Not a good look for me!
I have clearly been niave in my approach so far. I've thought that institutions such as schools which lets face it have a huge duty of care to our children would be the first to realise and apologise for a mistake being made on their part! Not so, they actually have presented me with a situation which means I will have to take this way over their heads!
I can be a fairly judgemental person I think....bordering on the whole 'no smoke without fire' thesis. I take it all back one can definately not judge a book by it's cover. Schools are failing, parents are failing and it's not rocket science as to why. My advice????? Always have faith in your child because no other fucker will. Listen to your child and Always always put them first,,,that is the only rule to parenting that works.
Any way I'm looking into emigrating to alaska....see you when the fog clears!!

If at first you don't succeed.....

Stupid week!
Washing machine broke down again so bought a new one. Men who came to plumb it in and take away the broken one must have thought I was a right nutter...eleven cats running around their feet, me blabbering on about launderette prices and a five year old asking them to get on with it as he needed to get to the toaster! Good job I'm not proud.
Had to jump start the car twice this week and take it on a long run to charge the battery seeing as I don't drive it enough!! I've been walking to school for two weeks which I thought was virtuous on all sorts of levels..swings and roundabouts I guess. Made up for lack of co2 emissions with aplomb on Friday as I decided to go to a supermarket I don't usually use as it's over in the next town but fancied a change (as good as a rest they say) did the shop and as I was at the till had a mini panic that I'd forgotten my purse, all was ok though the baby was teething with it. Phew that was close I said to the cashier 'What a nightmare! I'd have had to drive all the way home!' Of course I opened the purse to discover I'd left my card at home, so it WAS a nightmare and I DID have to drive all the way home, and then back to the store and then home again. I think I handled it with dignity though, that sort of thing can usually send me into a free fall meltdown.
Talking of meltdowns did get fairly close to one halfway through the week, lost two of the kittens (we have seven at the moment plus my four cats) for a couple of hours phoned the vets and everything as the boys had left the door open. Found them snug as bugs in the back of the kitchen cupboard. Then the following day managed to catch my thumb in the slide door, lots of blood, bit of a panic but still firmly attatched.
Good news story of the week is that I finally found the owner of the cat I found last week. Seems my poster campaign paid off, despite several of them being torn down, and I recieved a phonecall from the owner. Apparently the cat goes off for two weeks at a time so she hadn't been that concerned at first, it always comes back healthy and well fed so she suspects it has another 'holiday' home somewhere local. So there may be another person out there wondering where she's got to! However all is well that ends well and I'm glad I kept at it!
Suffice to say I'm bloody exhausted. Three of the boys have gone to stay with their Dad and one is out so very quiet this evening with me and the baby. Couple of glasses of wine and I forsee an early night. Haven't really seen the news this week but I understand there are some dangerous cucumbers out there..stay safe people!

Cat watch, who spilt the milk of human kindness?

 However, it's 'The Cat' that seems to have taken the spotlight this week.
My neighbours found a very poorly cat in their back garden and thought it was one of mine. Having established that it wasn't one of my darlings I managed to move this clearly distressed cat into a cat basket and we managed to find an all night vet to take a look at it. I honestly didn't think the cat would make it at all. As it turned out the vet said it had been poisoned, apparently cat's like the taste of anti freeze, and they had to just treat the symptoms as it was unlikely they could find the cause. They didn't think she would last the night but she did and throughout the next day continued to make progress. So being the 'kind lady' I can sometimes be, I began to try and find the owner! The cat had no collar and was not chipped but was obviously well cared for. I phoned the local vets, facebooked it, put up posters all over the area and knocked on doors for hours! No luck at all. Still haven't heard anything. Sound silly I know but I'm beginning to be irritated by it. Where is this person and why haven't they realised their cat is missing yet?? What makes it worse is that some of my posters have been ripped up? Who would do that??  Kids maybe? I blame the parents. Well I am going to carry on my crusade to find this cats owner as it's doing well at the moment but the vet can only keep it for 7days and then off to a rescue centre.Decided I would try and do this blog once a week instead of daily, but now the week has gone and I can't remember half of it already! I know that on Tuesday I thought it was Friday, therefore spending the rest of the week feeling hard done by every morning. My washing machine broke down and now is mended,a fairly large drama in it's own right.

As for the rest of the week I did have my first night out since Phoebe was born. Decided to nip up to my friends house for her 40th birthday celebrations. I had the firm intention of having one or two glasses of wine and a nice early night, really I did! Well four hours and several glasses of wine later, there had been much dancing, lots of laughing and a good time had by all! All except Phoebe who fell out of bed when I was out and now has a bruise by her eye! Woke up the next morning feeling remarkably good, but as the day carried on I came to the conclusion that I must have been still drunk in the morning to feel so well and was in bed by half eight!
Half term this week, just lovely not to have the school run looming at me twice a day. Onwards and upwards..

Emo Mum Alert!

Not the best day today... had three hours sleep last night, not sure why, just couldn't sleep. Managed one dream though, it was about combing through the little boys hair to check for lice and I'd made the mistake of putting shampoo on instead of conditioner. Crazy eh? I clearly need to get out more if my dreams are that banal! So, bit of a rubbish day, baby is teething and cried pretty much all day, turns out the only thing that stopped her was fake sneezing (makes her giggle) and malted milk biscuits. With the rest of the brood I took the inconsistent and shouty approach to parenting today even applying a touch of   'sinking to their level' Yep I can do immature responses such as repeating everything they say back to them.... Became responsible adult long enough to take a  trip out to buy food, and Wellies, (field trip tomorrow for my eldest requires them, where is he off to? He doesn't know!!! A river somewhere his reply!!)
It amazes me how I can be super mum one day and less than twenty four hours later be as much use as a deflated balloon with a hole in it. Kids are great though, they were asking me about this blogging business and I said that I was feeling a little down in the dumps so wasn't sure if I would blog at all today, Eldest response, 'Uh oh, Emo Mum Alert'.  Well that's me done, ought to empty washing machine of school uniforms...

A quiet day for me!

It's been a long week this week. So Friday night was spent with a glass of wine admiring my new laminate flooring. Have had a horrid old carpet for the last ten years (which I took up by myself with a six month old baby in one arm!). I was in bed by ten last night, oh how times have changed! Up with the larks this morning, had to take 'Kitten' to the vet, she was spayed on Monday and needed a check up. Took the baby and the two younger boys with me and no drama's there. She's all good, although the vet was amazed to hear that since she was spayed she seems to have taken to looking after her auntie's new litter. It must be her hormones, they'll be all over the place was her answer. I understood.
School fete at lunchtime, left the house at half eleven to get there for twelve. Still didn't manage to get there on time, had to pick my eldest up from a sleepover, so he could come home to sleep before he goes off to a gig this evening. Managed to clean up at the cake stall, hook a duck, buy an ice cream and come home with a tattooed five year old. The baby discovered grass today, she's nearly crawling, no mean feat on a school field! One of my friends came with her partner for a cuppa and I managed to put my size sevens in it. Chatting about the childrens options for University in the area and I failed to list the University (a new ish one) that they both work at!! Think I managed to pull it back in the end. Been a very quiet evening, dozed off when putting the baby down, the eldest is off reviewing a gig in Portsmouth, my thirteen year old is playing the infamous call of duty with his dad online. And the nine and the five year old are sorting through Doctor Who cards upstairs in bed! So much for a busy and manic life, just time to take a breath have a fag and a cuppa. I'm giving up smoking next week, more on that one later!

Begin at the beginning

Not sure where to start so I just will. Entering the world of blogging is brand new for me, I'm not completely at home on the internet, I like to stay safe and stick to facebook, weather reports, banking and amazon! I have five children and am a single mum. I don't fit the usual stereotype for that last statement and my life is busy, funny, stupid, interesting, cloudy, sunny and never dull. I've been nagged at by several friends to start sharing my 'mini soap operas' with the world and decided I have nothing to lose. I'm assuming that at the least it will be cathartic, I used to write frantically in my diary as a young girl, for years I never missed a day. I've had alot happen over the last couple of years and at thirty eight with four incredible boys and a gorgeous baby girl I have some experiences to share. So watch this space and if it raises a smile at least then I'm happy to have helped.